BY ANDREW MORKES, FOUNDER AND AUTHOR OF “NATURE IN CHICAGOLAND” BLOG
Tekakwitha Woods Forest Preserve (35W076 Villa Maria Road, St. Charles, IL 60174) is a small, but charming, 65-acre preserve with forest hills, deep ravines, and access to the Fox River. The Sisters of Mercy— an international community of Roman Catholic women religious—owned the property that is now Tekakwitha Woods Forest Preserve for eight decades. It was used as a spiritual retreat center and to help those in need. The Forest Preserve District of Kane County (FPDKC) bought the land from the religious order in 1992. The Sisters requested that the site be named in honor of Kateri Tekakwitha, a 17th century Native American from the Mohawk tribe whose was life was filled with physical suffering and rejection by many of her friends and family because she converted to Christianity. Tekakwitha was beatified by Pope John Paul II in 1980 and canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2012. Tekakwitha is the patron saint of the environment and ecology, people in exile, and Native Americans. Click here for more information.
I visited the preserve on an unseasonably warm (80 degree) spring day. A steady wind kept me cool as I walked the trails, traveled over a charming footbridge, and made my way down to the Fox River to views of five islands and the loud honking of geese (I could hear them in the forest before I even caught sight of the river). The admired the spring flowers—mayapples, bloodroot, red trillium, and trout lily—as I walked. Although the preserve is small, it is a beautiful place in which you can do a variety of activities, including:
Go for a Hike
There are several trails (all .50-miles or less) that take you through an oak-maple forest on the uplands, a floodplain forest, wetlands, and grasslands. Some of the trees at the preserve are more than 150 years old. Click here for a list of trails and a map. Note: Some of the trails are on hilly terrain that can be slippery in wet or icy conditions. Additionally, you can connect to the Fox River Trail (which runs along the former Elgin-Aurora trolley line) from the parking lot on the west side of Weber Drive. There are also unofficial trails that travel along the river. If you travel north on the Fox River Trail, you’ll cross the Fox River, enter the Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, and then continue north along the river. The Fox River Trail is 32 miles long and offers opportunities for hiking, biking, birding, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing. (NOTE: Recent heavy rains have caused flooding along some areas of the Fox River, so check with the FPDKC for current conditions. The two main trails at Tekakwitha are largely located in the hills above the river, although the trail surface may be muddy due to the wet conditions.)
Enjoy Birdwatching
More than 25 bird species have been observed at Tekakwitha, according to eBird.com. They include hooded mergansers, yellow-bellied sapsuckers, Cooper’s hawks, turkey vultures, red-bellied woodpeckers, downy woodpeckers, northern flickers, black-capped chickadees, white-breasted nuthatches, and golden-crowned kinglets.
Take a Class
The FPDKC offers a variety of classes at the preserve. One recent class was Ethnobotany Exploration, in which a naturalist educated visitors about how the plants and trees in the preserve were used by Native Americans and settlers for food, shelter, and medicine. Another, Summer Tree Identification, introduced students to the basic plant morphology needed for tree identification.
Before You Go
Hours: Sunrise to sunset, year-round
Dog Time: An off-leash dog area is located next to Tekakwitha Woods at River Bend Community Park.
What You Can Do There: Bicycling, Birdwatching, Canoeing/Kayaking/Boating (on the nearby Fox River), Cross-Country Skiing, Educational and Self-Enrichment Opportunities and Classes, Fishing, Hiking, Local History, Photography, Picnicking, Running/Exercise, Snowshoeing
Nearby Nature Destinations and Other Attractions
Blackhawk County Forest Preserve, Brewster Creek Forest Preserve, Fox River Bluff Forest Preserve, Fox River Trolley Museum, James Pate Philip State Park, Jon J. Duerr Forest Preserve, LeRoy Oakes Forest Preserve
Copyright (text/photos): © Andrew Morkes
Looking for some other great nature destinations in Chicagoland? If so, check out my book, Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit. It features amazing destinations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin. Click on the title to learn more. The book has 306 pages and 210+ photos and is only $19.99.
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ABOUT ANDREW MORKES
I’ve been a writer and editor for more than 30 years. I’m the founder of College & Career Press (2002); the author and publisher of The Morkes Report: College and Career Planning Trends blog; and the author and publisher of Hot Health Care Careers: 30 Occupations With Fast Growth and Many New Job Openings; Nontraditional Careers for Women and Men: More Than 30 Great Jobs for Women and Men With Apprenticeships Through PhDs; They Teach That in College!?: A Resource Guide to More Than 100 Interesting College Majors, which was selected as one of the best books of the year by the library journal Voice of Youth Advocates; and other titles. They Teach That in College!? provides more information on environmental- and sustainability-related majors such as Ecotourism, Range Management, Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Built Environment, Sustainability Studies, and Sustainable Agriculture/Organic Farming. I also served as a member of the parent advisory board at my son’s school for five years.
In addition to these publications, I’ve written more than 80 books about careers for other publishing and media companies including Infobase (such as the venerable Encyclopedia of Careers & Vocational Guidance, College Readiness: The Vault Guide for High School Juniors and Seniors, the Vault Career Guide to Consulting, and many volumes in the Careers in Focus, Discovering Careers, What Can I Do Now?!, and Career Skills Library series), Lerner Publishing, and Mason Crest (including those in the Careers in the Building Trades, Hands-On Careers, Social Media Today, Woman in STEM Careers, Getting Started, and Cool Careers in Science series).
Here’s a list of the environmental- and clean energy-focused titles that I’ve written or co-written:
- Nature in Chicagoland: More Than 120 Fantastic Nature Destinations That You Must Visit
- Wind Turbine Technicians (Great Careers Without a Bachelor’s Degree series)
- Environmental Scientists (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Renewable Energy Careers (Cool Careers in Science series)
- Environment (Getting Started series)
- Solar Power Technicians (Careers in Infrastructure series)
- Women in Environmental Sciences (Women in STEM Careers)
Articles about my work have appeared in the Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Practical Homeschooling, and other publications. My photographs of musicians, artists, and the natural world have been published in several books. My poetry has been published in Cadence, Wisconsin Review, Poetry Motel, Strong Coffee, and Mid-America Review. As an amateur artist, I’m pleased to say that four of my paintings were included in the 2025 Beverly Art Walk.
